Nilsson I M, Hartford O, Foster T, Tarkowski A
Department of Rheumatology, Göteborg University, Göteborg, Sweden.
Infect Immun. 1999 Mar;67(3):1045-9. doi: 10.1128/IAI.67.3.1045-1049.1999.
Septic arthritis is a common and feared complication of staphylococcal infections. Staphylococcus aureus produces a number of potential virulence factors including certain adhesins and enterotoxins. In this study we have assessed the roles of cytolytic toxins in the development of septic arthritis by inoculating mice with S. aureus wild-type strain 8325-4 or isogenic mutants differing in the expression of alpha-, beta-, and gamma-toxin production patterns. Mice inoculated with either an alpha- or beta-toxin mutant showed degrees of inflammation, joint damage, and weight decrease similar to wild-type-inoculated mice. In contrast, mice inoculated with either double (alpha- and gamma-toxin-deficient)- or triple (alpha-, beta-, and gamma-toxin-deficient)-mutant S. aureus strains showed lower frequency and severity of arthritis, measured both clinically and histologically, than mice inoculated with the wild-type strain. We conclude that simultaneous production of alpha- and gamma-toxin is a virulence factor in S. aureus arthritis.
脓毒性关节炎是葡萄球菌感染常见且可怕的并发症。金黄色葡萄球菌会产生多种潜在的毒力因子，包括某些黏附素和肠毒素。在本研究中，我们通过给小鼠接种金黄色葡萄球菌野生型菌株8325 - 4或α -、β -和γ -毒素产生模式表达不同的同基因突变体，评估了溶细胞毒素在脓毒性关节炎发展中的作用。接种α -毒素或β -毒素突变体的小鼠所表现出的炎症程度、关节损伤和体重减轻程度与接种野生型的小鼠相似。相比之下，接种双突变（α -和γ -毒素缺陷）或三突变（α -、β -和γ -毒素缺陷）金黄色葡萄球菌菌株的小鼠，在临床和组织学测量中，所表现出的关节炎频率和严重程度均低于接种野生型菌株的小鼠。我们得出结论，α -毒素和γ -毒素的同时产生是金黄色葡萄球菌性关节炎的一种毒力因子。
